Page 130 of The Work Wife

“What the hell?” he whispered while Ben continued to berate himself. “Annulment?” He flipped through the stack as if there would be some explanation. There was none. But he did find his signature on the last page next to hers. Along with the name of the law firm. His family’s law firm. Complete with court seals and signatures.

There was some kind of huge mix-up. The document read as if he was the one who wanted the annulment. It was created by his attorney, and Jamie signed it and sent it back to him without so much as a sticky note.

His mind played back their last conversation and he let out a gasp of shock.

His mother.

Could she have done this? Wes knew the truth before the question was fully formed. He knew how desperate his mother had been that night to get him to end the marriage. He’d removed her from their apartment before she upset Jamie, but she was determined to get him out of the arrangement, as she called it.

She’d also called Jamie a few names until he told her to leave and stay out of it.

He thought his mother had respected his wishes. She’d even made it sound like she was protecting Jamie. How stupid could he be not to see what his mother was up to?

After finding out she’d stayed married to a man who cheated on her, for the money, it made sense she would go to any extreme to keep that money secure from any foreseen threat. His mother saw Jamie as a threat.

And he’d told Jamie to sign the papers. They’d been talking about two very different documents, but he’d told Jamie to sign them because it was for the best.

And she’d signed them.

“Do you know what this means?” Ben said, pain clear in his voice.

“It means both of us have fucked up our chance at happiness?” He’d been so close to having everything.

Ben stared at him in confusion as Wes held up the documents.

“Apparently I’m not married anymore.”

* * * *

Jamie was exhausted by the time she got the story out. Her father didn’t say much. He told her he needed to think on it.

He was sure there was some kind of misunderstanding, but after repeating the last conversation she’d had with her husband, her father simply blew out a breath and shook his head. “I don’t know what to say. I sure didn’t see this coming.”

Neither had she.

She’d known Wes for a very long time. She knew he didn’t like to call things off with a girl. He hated breaking up so much, it was the reason he didn’t date that often. He’d once told her that when he knew a relationship wasn’t going anywhere, it was better to avoid it than to hurt someone’s feelings in the end.

He’d done a pretty good job of avoiding her, until she gave him no option. She could see how he had tried to make it work. He wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her.

She held her ring up to the light coming in from the street and frowned.

Why had he given her something so important?

She’d fallen asleep on the sofa before she could come up with the answer. She stayed on the sofa, not wanting to sleep in the bed she’d shared with Wes.

Shadow curled up next to her, as if he knew she needed some affection.

“He said it was for the best,” she whispered to the cat, who purred against her and licked her arm. “It sure doesn’t feel that way.”

* * * *

“Have you ever heard of someone accidently getting annulled?” Wes asked as Ben drove him to the airport.

Ben had spent the last hour making sure the papers were legit as Weston paced. Somehow, their mother had gotten a judge to file the annulment immediately and it was a done deal.

Ben knew Wes’s problem was immense, but it didn’t mean his own small tragedy wasn’t important too.

“No. I thought I was the stupid one,” Ben admitted.